Pope Pius XI wrote, in his encyclical "Miserentissimus": "...that the necessity of Expiation or
Reparation is especially urgent today must be evident to everyone who considers the present
plight of the world.... The Sacred Heart of Jesus promised to St. Margaret Mary that He would
reward abundantly with His graces all those who should render this honor to His Heart."
A "holy hour" may be made individually or in a group. They are held in a Catholic Church
preferably where there is Eucharistic Adoration; but also may be held if the Blessed Sacrament
is not exposed, but is still in the Tabernacle.
This is HIS HOUR
The Sacred Heart of Jesus began this devotion of the Holy Hour of Reparation, when He
entered the Garden of Gethsemane on Mount Olivet. He said to His apostles: "My soul is
sorrowful even unto death. Stay you here and watch with Me." Later, He said to them: "Could
you not watch one hour with Me? Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation." (Matt.
26: 38, 40, 41)
As Jesus spoke to His apostles, so He pleads with us to stay and watch and pray with Him. His
Sacred Heart is filled with sadness, because so many doubt Him, despise Him, insult Him,
ridicule Him. In the Sacrament of Love, so many forget Him. Every mortal sin brings down the
terrible scourges on His Sacred Body, presses the sharp thorns into His Sacred Head, and
hammers the cruel nails into His Sacred Hands and Feet. The ingratitude of mankind
continually pierces His Sacred Heart.
When Jesus saw the sins of the world and the reparation that must be made to His Heavenly
Father, He began to fear and be sad and sorrowful. "Kneeling down, He prayed: 'Father, if
Thou will, remove this chalice from Me. But not My will, Thine be done.' There appeared an
angel from heaven to strengthen Him; and being in agony, He prayed the longer, and His
sweat became as drops of blood trickling to the ground." (Luke 22: 41, 44)
The Sacred Heart of Jesus said to St. Margaret Mary: "Make reparation for the ingratitude of
men. Spend an hour in prayer to appease divine justice, to implore mercy for sinners, to honor
Me, to console Me for My bitter suffering when abandoned by My apostles, when they did not
watch one hour with Me."
Act of Charity:
O good and merciful Saviour, it is the desire of my heart to return Thee love for love. My
greatest sorrow is that Thou art not loved by all men and, in particular, that my heart is so cold,
so selfish, so ungrateful. Deeply sensible of my own weakness and poverty, I trust that Thy
own grace will enable me to offer Thee an act of pure love. And I wish to offer Thee this act of
love in reparation for the coldness and neglect that are shown to Thee in the Sacrament of Thy
love by Thy creatures. O Jesus, my sovereign good, I love Thee, not for the sake of the reward
which Thou hast promised to those who love Thee, but purely for Thyself. I love Thee above all
things that can be loved, above all pleasures, and above myself and all that is not Thee,
protesting in the presence of heaven and earth that I will live and die purely and simply in Thy
holy love, and that if to love Thee thus I must endure persecution and suffering, I am perfectly
satisfied, and I will ever say with St. Paul: "Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ."
O Jesus, Supreme Master of all hearts, I love Thee, I adore Thee, I praise Thee, I thank Thee,
because I am now all Thine own. Rule over me and transform my soul into the likeness of
Thyself so that it may bless and glorify Thee forever in the abode of the saints. Amen.
Sweet Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and on our erring brethren.
Prayer to Christ the King:
O Christ Jesus, I acknowledge Thee King of the Universe. All that has been made has been
created for Thee. Make full use of Thy rights over me. I renew the promises I made in Baptism,
when I renounced Satan and all his pomps and works, and I promise to live a good Christian
life; and especially I undertake to help, to the extent of my means, to secure the triumph of the
rights of God and of Thy Church. Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer Thee my efforts to obtain that all
hearts may acknowledge Thy Sacred Royalty, and that so the Kingdom of Thy peace may be
established throughout the entire universe. Amen.
Jesus, King and Center of all hearts, through the advent of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.
Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, united to the Word of God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God, have mercy on us.
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children who have abandoned Thee; grant that they may quickly return to their Father's house,
lest they die of wretchedness and hunger.
Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and
call them back to the harbor of truth and the unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one
flock and one Shepherd.
Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give tranquility
of order to all nations; make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the
Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to it be glory and honor forever. Amen.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come!
Act of Reparation:
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to
Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our
love and fidelity to Thee!
The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred
Heart of Jesus! The more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hopes of immortality, the more
we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole hope of mankind! The more hearts resist Thy Divine
attractions, the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus! The more
unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart
of Jesus! The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we
shall receive them with love and reverence, O most liberal Heart of Jesus! The more the
imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice
them, O Heart, model of every virtue! The more the devil labors to destroy souls, the more w
shall be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous Lover of souls! The more
sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a
living temple of the Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus! The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the
more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus! The more Thy
Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more we will honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy
Church, show our fidelity and pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus!
O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the midst of a
corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
Praise and adoration ever more be given to the most Holy Sacrament!
Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary, and then:
Let us pray: O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has
purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation; grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating
upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what
they contain, and obtain what they promise. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord, I thank Thee, that Thou didst die on the Cross for my sins.
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To the Wound of the Right Foot: Holy Wound of the Right Foot of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I
compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank
Thee for the love which pierced Thee with such torture and shedding of Blood in order to
punish my wanderings and the guilty pleasures I have granted to my passions. I offer to the
Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, and I pray unto Him for
grace to weep over my transgressions with burning tears, and to enable me to persevere in the
good which I have begun, without ever swerving again from my obedience to the
commandments of my God.
To the Wound of the Left Hand: Holy Wound of the Left Hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I
compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank
Thee for having in Thy love, spared me the scourges and eternal damnation which my sins
have merited. I offer to the Eternal Father the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, and
I pray Him to teach me how to turn to good account my span of life, and bring forth in it worthy
fruits of penance, and so disarm the angry justice of my God.
To the Wound of the Right Hand: Holy Wound of the Right Hand of my Jesus, I adore Thee!
I compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank
Thee for Thy graces lavished on me with such love, in spite of all m y miserable obstinacy. I
offer to the Eternal Father all the pain and love of Thy most sacred humanity, and I pray Him to
change my heart and its affections, and make me do all my actions in accordance with the will
of God.
To the Wound of the Sacred Side: Holy Wound in the Side of my Jesus, I adore Thee! I
compassionate Thee, O my Jesus, for that most bitter pain which Thou didst suffer. I thank
Thee, my Jesus, for the love which suffered Thy Side and Heart to be pierced, that the last
drops of Blood and Water might issue forth, making my redemption to abound. I offer to the
Eternal Father this outrage, and the love of Thy most sacred humanity, that my soul may enter
once for all into that most loving Heart, eager and ready to receive the greatest sinners, and
from It may never more depart.
Sacred Heart of my Jesus, grant that I may ever love Thee more and more.
Prayer for Increase of Daily Holy Communions:
O Sweetest Jesus, Who camest into this world to give to all the life of Thy grace, and Who, to
preserve and sustain it, didst will to be the remedy of our daily infirmities, and our daily Food;
humbly we pray Thee, by Thy Heart, all on fire for love of us, to pour out Thy Holy Spirit upon
all, so that those who are unhappily in mortal sin may be converted to Thee, and recover the
life of grace which they have lost; and those who by Thy gift still live this divine life, may every
day, when they are able, approach devoutly to Thy holy table, where, in daily Holy
Communion, receiving every day the antidote to their daily venial sins, and nourishing the life
of grace in their hearts, and purifying more and more their souls, they may come at last to the
enjoyment with Thee of eternal beatitude. Amen.
Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts with love of Thee.
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Bless me, dear Lord, before I go. And bless not me alone, O Lord, but all as well who are here
present, and all who could not come, especially the sick and the dying. Bless our homes and
all the children there. Bless all our life and the hour of our death.
Grant rest to the souls of the faithful departed, and bring them into the light of Thy divine glory.
So may we who have worshipped Thee and been blessed here on earth, come to behold the
radiant glory of Thy unveiled Countenance in heaven forever and ever. Amen.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come!
For the Intentions of the Holy Father, to Gain Indulgences of the Holy Hour:
Pray 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 1 Glory be....
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine!
All praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment Thine!
Make the Sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
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This format for a Holy Hour of Adoration has been taken from a book entitled:
"Behold the Heart Which Has So Loved Men,"
published by J.M.J. Book Co., first printed in 1992.
Imprimi potest: Very Rev. J. A. Panuska, S.J.
Provincial of the Maryland Province, August 4, 1976
Imprimatur: Most Rev. Charles R. Koester, S.T.D
Vicar General, Archdiocese of St. Louis, April 5, 1976
You may obtain a copy of the entire book from them at:
J.M.J. Book Co.
P O Box 15
Necedah, WI 54646
(608) 565-2516
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